Gov. Bruce Rauner calls for unity on the eve of the General Assembly’s 10-day extended session June 20. Lawmakers need to pass a state budget by June 30. (Blueroomstream)

Gov. Bruce Rauner summoned lawmakers back to Springfield for a 10-day extended session before the June 30 end of the fiscal year.

In an atmosphere of distrust and partisan fighting, the General Assembly is required to pass a spending plan by a three-fifths supermajority in both houses, or risk a third year without a state budget.

The governor issued a “Call for Unity” in a three-minute pep talk on June 20, the eve of the first session. But the press conference was followed by the GOP release of television commercials attacking Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.

“Right now, our state is in real crisis — and the actions we take in the days ahead will determine how history remembers us,” Rauner said. “Failure to act is not an option. Failure to act may cause permanent damage to our state that will take years to overcome … . Over the next 10 days, we have an opportunity to change the State of Illinois for the better. To give our people a future they can believe in. To give job creators a reason to come, and families a reason to stay.”

Rauner urged both sides to agree to pass what the referred to as the “Compromise” budget, seven bills rolled out by GOP lawmakers two weeks ago. Saying the budget “moves us to middle ground on key issues,” Rauner listed funding for schools, higher education and human services as bipartisan priorities. But he also mentioned two GOP priorities, property tax reduction and term limits on legislative leaders, “including the Governor.”

But Democrats, who are eager for governor term limits at the ballot box, instantly had criticism of the speech and the alleged compromise bills.

“The budget crisis has crippled our state while Bruce Rauner sat by and did nothing,” JB Pritzker said in a statement released shortly after the governor’s speech. “Now today, on day 720 of the crisis he created, Rauner has decided he wants to make people think that he’d like to work together to get something done. But I don’t believe a word of it: Bruce Rauner calls his proposal a compromise budget, but that could not be further from the truth. There’s nothing about it that’s a compromise. There’s no unity in his call for unity. It’s a sham.”

“Gov. Rauner is a liar, a fraud and a flake,” said Democratic governor hopeful Chicago Ald. Ameya Pawar in a statement. “In his brief televised address tonight, he said he wants to work with all members of the General Assembly to pass a balanced budget during the special session, but he’s attacking Democrats with TV ads, mailers and fliers.”

On June 21, in Springfield, few lawmakers even showed up on time for the beginning of the special session, which was adjourned after ten minutes and the rest of the afternoon was spent in closed caucus meetings.

House Speaker Madigan did hint that the house would present a spending plan created by a team led by Greg Harris (D-Chicago) that was “not too far apart” from the GOP plan. “We’re fully willing to work with anyone who wishes to engage with us to work to solve the budget deficit problem,” Madigan said.

On June 21, Madigan planned a committee-of-the-whole meeting to address workers compensation changes, which have been a sticking point.

“The governor and his allies are determined to institute changes to workers’ compensation, but they have no desire to hear from the middle-class workers who will actually be impacted by their changes. No one plans to be injured on the job, but every day workers are seriously hurt or even permanently disabled on the job through no fault of their own,” Madigan said in a statement. “Democrats have put legislation on the governor’s desk that will help employers cope with workers’ compensation insurance costs, without hurting middle-class families. As the governor insists on further changes, we owe it to the people directly affected by these changes to give them a seat at the table and a voice in the discussion, not just to hear from the corporate CEOs whispering in Governor Rauner’s ear.”

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) said the Democrats would have to work with Republicans to get the supermajority needed to pass a budget bill in the extended session.

“Speaker Madigan and the House Democrats will need Republican votes if they want to end this impasse,” Durkin said. “The time for just having vague, general discussions is over, and time for the committees of the whole, are over. We’re done with that. We’ve heard this time and time again over the past two years.”

The Senate Democrats passed a $37.3 billion plan, which includes cuts and an income tax increase. It was approved without GOP votes. Rauner’s compromise plans also include a tax hike, with a corresponding four-year property tax freeze in exchange for funding Chicago Public School pensions for one year.

June 22, after the second day of the special session, Madigan told the press the Democrats would be able to find common ground on some of the GOP priorities, such as governmental consolidation, procurement and the sale of the Thompson Center.

“Unfortunately, we haven’t seen a comparable response from the governor,” Madigan said. “We would feel that if we’re being responsive to the governor’s requests, he ought to engage with us on the budget-making and on raising the money to pay for the budget. And I haven’t seen that yet.”

Meanwhile some school districts across the states threatened to close their doors in December if late state education funds are not forthcoming. Illinois Department of Transportation warned that highway construction projects would halt July 1 if a budget was not passed. Illinois was threatened with being kicked out of participating in Powerball and Mega Millions lottery games because the lack of a budget meant winning funds could not be guaranteed in the state.

— First week unfruitful for Illinois state budget compromise  —